Beginning Jan. 1, Crittenden County Circuit Clerk Melissa Guill will be reducing her weekend office hours. After the first of the new year, the office will be open 9-11 a.m. only one Saturday per month. Guill said that will be the first Saturday unless weather, holidays or other circumstances close the courthouse that particular weekend.
“No matter what, the office will be open one Saturday a month,” Guill said in a social media post seeking input from the public.
Until 2017, however, the office will remain open 9-11 a.m. each Saturday unless affected by a holiday or weather. It will also be closed Oct. 1 for the annual Pumpkin Festival.
Guill said the change will address multiple concerns, including the safety of the lone deputy who staffs the office on Saturday. It will also reduce the number of compensatory hours accrued on weekends. Though Guill is elected locally, hers is a state office, and Frankfort requires comp time to be kept to a minimum.
The circuit clerk said Saturday traffic for licensing at her office is rather low, and the types of transactions available on Saturdays are already limited because Frankfort offices are not open on weekends. For basic renewals, she is willing to make arrangements for anyone who cannot make it to the office during regular business hours.
“I want to make this change as easy as possible for the public and my office,” Guill said.
Crittenden County Sheriff’s Department, according to office Deputy Mandi Harrision, currently has no plans to change its weekend hours. The office is open every Saturday unless holidays, weather or special circumstances like the Pumpkin Festival close the courthouse.
